Democracy Now! correspondent and best-selling author Jeremy Scahill has won the The George Polk Book Award for his book "Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army." The judges said: "Scahill’s work exposed killings, human rights violations and misconduct by the firm’s personnel and revealed the U.S. government’s growing reliance on this 'shadow army.' His reporting and Congressional testimony helped propel legislation that would ban U.S. government security contracts with Blackwater and other private military companies."

For 12 years a radio and television news programme, Democracy Now, has survived and even flourished on a cobbled-together broadcast network that reaches all of the United States and out into the world. It has almost no paid resources, yet daily defies the corporate and government agendas, and has sometimes forced mainstream media into picking up its stories, if not its attitudes.

Regis talks about his dinner with Amy Goodman on his show Live with Regis and Kelly.

REGIS: And on my right was Amy Goodman — I was unfamiliar with the name. “What do you do, Amy?”… She says, “We cover global events.” … Well, now, excuse me, but what am I going to have in common with someone who covers global news? … : The beautiful baby contest? That ain’t going to do it! … Santa Claus getting pawed? No!… [The] woman was very interesting, so I tuned her in. She’s on from 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning.

Earlier today Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) resigned his House seat after acknowledging he had an affair with a female staffer. Long an advocate for "family values," Souder called for former President Bill Clinton to resign over the Monica Lewinsky scandal. On Sept. 17, 1998, during the Clinton impeachment scandal, Democracy Now! invited Rep. Souder and Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL) (who is now running for governor in Florida) to discuss by phone a recent House vote on combating drugs. In the spirit of the times, Amy Goodman asked both men if they have ever had extramarital affairs. McCollum said "I am not, and, uh.. in, at this present time involved in anything whatsoever, have not been." When Souder was asked, he hung up the phone.

Lena Horne died this week at the age of 92. More than just a brilliant singer and actress, she was a pioneering civil rights activist, breaking racial barriers for generations of African-Americans who have followed her.

Arizona Senate Bill 1070 empowers state and local law enforcement to stop, question and arrest whoever they suspect may not be in the state legally. The law is an open invitation to sweeping racial profiling and arbitrary detention.

DN! In Depth

By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan — The corporate television newscasts spend more and more time covering the increasingly disruptive, costly and at times deadly weather. But they consistently fail to make the link between extreme weather and climate change.